4.-Stillness, and Awe.

[NIGHT, FROM THE "NIGHT THOUGHTS."]-Young

"Creation sleeps: 't is as the general pulse of life | stood still || And nature made a pause, || an awful pause, || ||

Prophetic of her end!"

5.-Solemnity, and Triumph.

[CATO, EXULTING IN THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL.]-Addison.

"The stars | shall fade away, || the sun himself |
Grow dim with age, || and Nature | sink in years;
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, ||
Unhurt | amidst the war of elements, ||

The wreck of matter, || and the crush of worlds."

6.-Grief.

[ADAM'S LAMENTATION OVER THE FALL OF EVE.]-Milton.

"O fairest of creation! || last | and best |
Of all God's works, || creature in whom excelled
Whatever can to sight or thought be formed,
Holy, | divine, | good, | amiable, | or sweet! ||
How art thou lost, || || how on a sudden lost, ||
Defaced, || deflowered, || and how to death | devote!"

7.-Contrition.

[EVE IMPLORING FORGIVENESS OF ADAM.]-Ibid.

On me | already lost, || me than thyself

More miserable! || || both | have sinned, || but thou |
Against God only, I || against God | and thee; ||
And to the place of judgment will return, ||
There with my cries importune Heaven, that all
The sentence from thy head removed, may light
On me, || sole cause to thee | of all this woe, ||
Me, || me only, || just object of His ire!"

8.-Remorse, and Despair.

[SATAN RECALLING THE BOAST WITH WHICH HE ARRAYED HIS LEGIONS, IN

REBELLION.]-Ibid.

"Ay me! || they little know

How dearly I abide that boast so vain, |

Under what torments | inwardly I groan, ||

While they adore me on the throne of hell! || ||
With diadem and sceptre high advanced |

The lower still I fall, || only supreme

In misery! || || Such joy | ambition finds."

9.-Horror.

[BURKE'S DESCRIPTION OF THE DESOLATION EFFECTED BY HYDER ALI AND HIS SON.]-Burke.

"So completely did these masters in their art, Hyder Ali,* and his more ferocious son, absolve themselves of their impious vow, that when the British armies traversed, as they did, the Carnatic, for hundreds of miles, in all directions,through the whole line of their march, | they did not see one man, not one woman, || not one child, || || not one four-footed beast of any description whatever. One dead | uniform | silence || reigned | over the whole region."

10.-Oratorical Interrogation.

[Brutus's HaranGUE TO THE PEOPLE, AFTER THE ASSASSINATION OF CESAR.]-Shakspeare.

|| If

"Who's here so base that would be a bondman? any, speak; || for him have I offended. || || Who's here so rude, that would not be a Roman ?—|| If any, speak; || for him have I offended. || || Who's here so vile, that will not love his country?-|| If any, speak; || for him have I offended.—|| || I pause for a reply.”

II.-"RHETORICAL" PAUSES.

These are of great practical utility in reading; as, besides prescribing the indispensable long pauses at heads of discourse and paragraphs, they direct the voice to many cessa

tions of utterance, which are not indicated by the usual punctuation of sentences. Their chief use is to supply the deficiency arising from the inadequacy of points, or grammatical punctuation, to mark all the places at which a pause necessarily occurs in reading.

The "rhetorical" pauses often coincide with the usual points; but they apply, also, in many cases in which no point is used. The common grammatical punctuation, (indicated by the comma, semicolon, colon, and period,) coincides, in most instances, with the cessations of voice which meaning requires. But this is not always the case; as they sometimes occur where the syntax of a sentence is interrupted or terminated, for the time, but where the sense requires no pause. "Rhetorical" pauses regard the sense of a sentence, and are intended for the ear: grammatical punctuation refers to the syntactical structure of a sentence, and is addressed to the eye. The "rhetorical" pauses are of indefinite length, and always vary, as to their duration, with the sentiment and the utterance, as brisk and animated, or slow and grave. Grammatical pauses have a fixed and uniform value, as representing the component parts of a sentence as such, and, in reading aloud, can seldom be appropriately used, as sometimes directed, by a process of counting, 66 one, at a comma; two, at a semicolon;" &c., since the feelings which are expressed by the sentence, may, in one part of it, be lively and rapid, and in another solemn and slow; as in the following instance.

"Your house is finished, sir, | at last;

A narrower house, || || a house of clay."

"Rhetorical" pauses may be briefly classed in the manner before exemplified, in application to long and compound sentences, as dividing the whole, first, into two main parts, or compound clauses, then, these into two minor portions, or simple clauses,—these again into phrases,—last of all, these phrases into words.

It is not meant that in every compound sentence all these divisions or subdivisions are invariably found, or that there may not be several successive principal and subordinate parts in one sentence. But in most compound sentences, and in many simple sentences, several of them will be found, and particularly the last two, the rhetorical pause between clauses and words, as in the following instances: "In a few days | the country was overrun." "They fled in haste." "The enemy approached."

The careful observance of the "rhetorical" pause, is one of the chief means of distinctness in the expression of thought. In narration and description, and in plain didactic style, it is equally important that the successive sounds of the voice should be relieved from

each other, in portions best adapted to present the component parts of the whole in a clear, distinct, impressive manner, according to their comparative length and importance. The thought or sentiment which is thus communicated, falls on the ear with a definite and satisfactory succession of sounds, which the mind easily receives and appreciates. The parts being thus exactly given, each takes its own due weight, and at the same time, enhances the effect of the whole. The result is that the communication is fully understood and makes its just impression.

But young readers, especially, are apt to hasten on, in the act of reading, till they come to a full stop; and even then to slight the due pause. This hurried mode of reading, renders it impossible to give a sentiment force or weight to the ear. Much time, therefore, should be spent in reading sentences of an unimpassioned character, such as usually require the most frequent application of the "rhetorical " pause. The following examples will serve to suggest the most important applications of this pause.

1. "

66

EXAMPLES OF THE RHETORICAL PAUSE.

I.- Between Phrases.

Phrases commencing with a Preposition.

Depart to the house which has in this city been prepared for thy residence."

2. "

'My heart was wounded with the arrow of affliction, and my eyes became dim with sorrow."

3. To increase the austerity of my life, I frequently watched all night, sitting at the entrance of the cave with my face to the east, resigning myself to the secret influences of the Prophet."

4. "When I awaked, I laid my forehead upon the ground, and blessed the Prophet | for the instruction of the morning.” 5. "The king, whose doubts were now removed, looked up with a smile that communicated the joy of his mind."

Phrases commencing with an Adverb.

1. "He has passed to that world | where the weary are at

rest."

2.

"The voice of Heaven summons you in these hours | when the leaves fall, and the winter is gathering."

3. "Be entreated to make the decisive effort | ere it be too late."

4. "He continued steadfast in his purpose | while others wavered."

Phrases commencing with a Conjunction.

1. "It is more blessed to give | than to receive."

2. "Yet I know not whether my danger is a reality or a dream."

3. "In the spirit of sympathy, we call on rocks' and streams and forests || to witness | and share our emotions."

4. "The same sun which now marks the autumn of the year, will again arise in his brightness, and bring along with him the promise of the spring | and all the magnificence of summer."

5. "The voice of despair now whispers | that all exertion is in vain."

6. "We are often deceived because we are willing to be deceived."

II.- Between Words.

The Nominative and the Verb.

1. "The breeze | died away, as the sun | sank behind the hills."

2. "The smoke | rises not through the trees: for the honors of the grove | are fallen."

3. " Weeping | may endure for a night; but joy | cometh in the morning."

Ellipsis.

"Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue | knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance | patience.'

III. GRAMMATICAL PAUSES.

The due observance of the pauses indicated by grammatical punctuation, is one of the useful and effectual means of arresting the attention of young learners, and accustoming them to mark distinctly the component portions of a sentence. But the common fault of school reading, and, sometimes, of professional exercises,―a uniform

1 For farther statement and illustration of "rhetorical" pauses, see "American Elocutionist." The "prosodial pauses" will be found on a sub. sequent page of this manual, and, at greater length, in the "Elocutionist."